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Saturday, 25 February 2012

Marching in hostel...

If you have lived in a hostel, chances are that you are rich with anecdotes. Each anecdote at times, is a milestone of your growing years.

Rehearsals for Sports Day of a school , right behind my apartments, reminded me of early winter mornings at CG Hostel, Guwahati. Each hostel competed for the best marching contingent. Marching was mostly done by the 'freshers' while the seniors drilled them into discipline. Waking up at crack of dawn for practice evoked many subdued mutterings. But once out, the girls were seen giving their best with a hot,watery cuppa thrown in at the end. After many such mornings, when there was a semblance of order and synchronicity in the ranks, gates were thrown open for a march, down the street in front of the hostel. With Dighalipukhuri on one side, the girls' team smartly marched. It would so happen that at the same time, the boys' hostel teams would also choose exactly the same time to march by the girls' hostel.
Friends, you will appreciate the effect of girls on the boys, and also the other way round. The young boys who were missing the warmth of their hostel beds,walked leisurely with a few exceptions. A stifled yawn here and an infectious loud one there.This however did not perturb the 'senior supervisors'. At the sight of the girls, suddenly order was restored in the team. And as the groups crossed each other, a call for salute( "daine dekh") was commanded of the boys. Lo and behold!Within a second, the boys pulled up their socks and marched confidently in nearly perfect unison! The girls who were marching so confidently, with smart synchronous movements, suddenly floundered and found their hands and feet moving on their own. From the quiet and focused ranks, came forth nervous giggles and glances. All the hard work put in, unravelled with a mock salute...However, with some more practice and firm resolution, this phenomenon slowly subsided.
... At the end, the girls' took the trophy home. Happiness over-flowing, fostering new-found kinship away from home and a bond growing that brings a smile even after so many years have passed by...